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Saturday, August 26, 2017

In my endeavor to flesh out the various colleges of Caldwen, it became necessary to define what their general disciplines were. For this, I followed existing wisdom, so to speak. I didn't like the original definitions I found, however. They seemed imprecise or flawed in some way. I wrote new ones to minimize overlap, which will cause some spells to shift from what players may be used to, to new groups. That's not necessarily an issue, since Calidar relies on a system neutral way of referring to game mechanics (therefore spell names are never mentioned specifically in the text.) In and of itself, this is a design challenge. Here's the list of my definitions. Feel free to kibbitz!

Abjuration: The will to reject or deny evokes the
power to block, remove, undo, dismiss, or banish unwanted conditions or creatures. Abjuration is the primary
form of magic for protective spells.

Alteration: The will to change what already exists into
something else evokes the power to subtly modify or completely transform a
condition (metathesis), an object (transmutation), a creature (metamorphosis),
or their locations (transference—generally moving away, otherwise see
Conjuration).

Conjuration: The will to call forth what exists elsewhere
evokes the power to fetch an object or summon a creature (generally moving
toward the caster, otherwise see Alteration).

Divination: The will to perceive what is unknown evokes the
power to distinguish what lies beyond normal senses, or attain a higher
consciousness to learn and comprehend what lies out of reach.

Invocation: The will to bring into existence something that
did not exist evokes the power to create matter, energy, and visible or
invisible forces that are tangible.

Enchantment: The will to enable or disable evokes the power
to bestow properties upon objects and beings, or manipulate the will and
abilities of others (affecting natural senses, however, pertains to Illusions).

Illusion: The will to deceive evokes the powers to control
one’s natural perception of reality, to suggest thoughts and emotions, to
impair logic, to blur the limit between conscious and subconscious, and to
bring to life the imaginary. Illusion parallels Invocation in that effects may
be tangible, as imagination, if strong enough, taps directly into Calidar’s
world soul—the very source of magic and life itself.

Necromancy: The will to master death evokes the power to
control or corrupt the nature of one’s own life or the lives of others, and all
that dwells between life and death. It is an essential discipline meant to
unveil the fabric and origins of Calidar’s world soul, the netherworld, and the
divine.

Wednesday, August 23, 2017

Having completed all the details of Caldwen'sclimate zones, I followed up with brainstorming about what should go on the magiocracy's map. This process helps me coalesce/solidify in my mind key creative concepts behind designing a Gazetteer. I started out with the map Thorfinn Tait generated for his Patreon, and doodled (literally) stuff all over it. Thorfinn then sent me the map's source file, with all its layers and a correct 10 mile scale hex grid, so I could switch off material I needed to change or remove. This really kicked the process into a higher gear. Working from a finished piece of art (the topographical rendering) is hugely helpful, both for practical and visual reasons. A map that looks almost like its finished version this early in the process is a luxury. Naturally, all of this will be turned over to Thorfinn when CAL2's production stage begins, so he can generate the clean, definitive version.Among the topics on which I focused were mechanics determining how Caldwen aristocracy is granted titular domains (see CAL1 "In Stranger Skies, page 72). This led me to review and flesh out the way the magiocracy is governed, how the colleges (schools of magic) are set up, and how inheritance laws work. This created a system that is reminiscent of GAZ3 (Mystara's Glantri), with individual estates routinely bestowed to qualifying wizards, reflecting their standings in their spellcasting speciality. There's much more to this than I should expose here, but you get the idea.This affects directly what goes on the map. I can already see a referee's version showing all the details while a players' map would display much less (especially about the actual locations of private wizard estates which aren't common knowledge to folks living in the country, let alone visiting foreigners).

Wizard towers can come in many forms. The simplest and most common is the free standing structure. It can be a traditional tower or some other elegant manor house with the sort of enchantments one ought to expect from the abode of a spellcasting aristocrat. As it were, contrary to landless sorcerers who typically work for a salary, aristocrats receive a pension from their affiliated colleges along in addition to their titular estates. One concern is moving from a private domain to another, as wizards ascend their colleges' academic ladders or (gasp!) begin the process anew in another college, and so on. Do be aware that academic achievement in Caldwen opens doors to political power.

Another common dwelling is the one buried beneath a wilderness, like a dungeon, or carved directly out of a mountain's face. Fortunately, there are plenty of deserted mountain regions in Caldwen. One might be wise not to wander there aimlessly. Wizardly aristocrats crave privacy, either because they loathe being disturbed or because rivalries among Caldwen's mightiest can be downright deadly. Making one's home hard to find and harder yet to approach is the norm. The terrain and harsh alpine climate keep virtually all commoners away. This also explain why there are so few roads and trails in the country. They connect towns, since commoners have no other option but walking or riding. The proper spellcasting sort flies, teleports, or uses some other sort of transportation. To them, roads are meaningless. No self-respecting mage would ever permit any sort of visible path to his or her domain.

Following the same thought, another sort of tower is the one entirely submerged near Caldwen's coastline. Some are intended to stand at the bottom of the sea, while others may emerge to allow visitors in or out. Private domains typically include surrounding lands, up to 15 miles radius (this may seem familiar to Mystaran oldguard). These estates include a magical dome. Their occupants otherwise rely on magic and submersibles to dwell beneath the waves and interact with wandering wildlife.

Some wizards truly dislike the aquatic environment and its inherent dangers. They feel much more at home in levitating towers. They still can exploit the land directly beneath their abodes, but it certainly makes it harder for mudane visitors to come knocking at the door. Granted, there are random flying monsters, but wizards always have ways of keeping those bay (or using them as a source of valuable components). On the other hand, weather at altitude ranges from fierce to downright deadly

Yet another style of tower can phase in and out of the prime plane entirely. However convenient, there are dangers involved with this too, as outer planar beings can be much more perilous to deal with than Caldwen's common fare. Where these towers shift to is another matter. Some may drop into the netherworld. Others may shift to other places, such as the Dread Lands, any of Calidar's three moons, Kumoshima, Lao-Kwei, Felis Minor, Canis Major, or even (gasp of horror!) Draconia. At this point, anything goes.

The thing about these towers is that they all have an intrinsic ranking. It may have to do with how close to a college's power center they stand, or whether they benefit from some special feature: a source of magical mana, a haunting, a serving demon permanently bound to the domain, serfs (alive or undead) working nearby land, etc. As you may already have guessed, demons are big thing in Caldwen. However sinister the idea, remember that etymologically, the term referred to spiritual guardians and arcane servants who weren't necessarily evil. So, serving imps, devilish familiars, folks with demon ancestry, patron demons associated with towns and villages are all to be expected, along with everything a wizard might want to know about these fearsome critters and how to deal with them.If you can think of other ideas on how to show wizard towers on a map (did I forget some other type of estate?) do fee free to pitch in! Thanks.

Sunday, August 20, 2017

As I begin work on Calidar's next Gazetteer, this one for CAL2 (The Magiocracy of Caldwen), I needed to double check the area's climate zones, since these should affect what vegetation and color ranges should be depicted on a geographical map. What was indicated for the Great Caldera in CAL1 "In Stranger Skies" was very approximate and hard to locate as regards regional borders. The map below is my first attempt at developing the local climate. Some questions came up that professional meteorologists or climatologists might be able to elucidate (thank you!) First, here are my assumptions. The southwestern region is oceanic, comparable to conditions ranging from France's Loire Valley to southern England. The continental weather prevailing in Caldwen's midlands and in the north is similar to central Europe's; the dominant wind blows from the southwest, channeled by high mountains stretching along the region's eastern and western sides. A large mountain chain walls off the magiocracy's eastern seashores. I assumed it would result in these shores becoming semi-arid, colder to the north, milder to the south. A valley is tucked in between the oceanic and semi-arid zones; its wind blows from the south-southwest, from a region that enjoys essentially Mediterranean climates. I wasn't sure what weather would result in this valley; my best guess was a warmer continental weather, such as US Midwest (Chicago or St. Louis), perhaps milder.Another issue I ran into is the presence of warm water streaming northward along eastern seashores. Is this a problem? I also wondered whether the island farthest to the east should also be semi-arid or continental. One more thing, the maritime area west of Caldwen, is nowhere near comparable to the Atlantic Ocean (as regards its size, depth and temperature), which may invalidate all of the above anyway. This is a fantasy world, so ultimately details need not be absolutely correct, but I must admit curiosity got the best of me here. Any help would be appreciated.

A collection of cards, front and back, are posted here, at their normal resolution (click on an image to view an enlarged shot.) Their statistics are tentative, and some have been revised since they were posted earlier. They should be printed at a normal playing card size. More will eventually be drafted to fill a deck, but there should be enough here to playtest movement and combat mechanics. Tiles will come at a later time.

I
grew up in France (mostly), England, Morocco, Washington DC, and Texas. I speak mostly French and English, with a little Spanish, Portuguese, and German. Returning to Nice for my education, I graduated from the lycée hotelier in 1977; I got passionately interested in wargames when I was attending the Lycée ... primarily in Avalon Hill games like Kriegspiel, Luftwaffe, Third Reich, and Panzer Leader
— the classics. There were, of course, no French editions of these
games at the time, so I had to learn the American versions. I loved to travel, so I studied hotel management and worked as a concierge in both France and California.

While living in San Francisco I discovered the Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set, and when I returned to Paris I joined my first regular Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) group. I started writing articles on D&D and AD&D for French gaming magazine Casus Belli, and there learned that TSR
was looking for someone to translate the games into French. Well, I
spoke and wrote both languages, and I knew the games, so a request reached Gary Gygax.
By a coincidence, he was just about to come to Paris on business, and
so we set up a meeting. I must have done OK, because he offered me the
job. After a few months of doing translation work in Nice, TSR requested I move to the home office in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. For a sun-loving Mediterranean like me, Wisconsin in February was a bit of a shock.

After working for two years as a translator, I transferred to TSR's Games Division in July
1985 as an Acquisitions Coordinator, in charge of contracting
freelance writers. I also did game design, including adventure
modules CM7, Tree of Life; M1, Into the Maelstrom; and co-authorship of DL12, Dragons of Faith.

I worked on a number of products for the basic Dungeons & Dragons game, including writing the "Voyage of the Princess Ark" series for Dragon magazine, a monthly feature that lasted about three years, as well as other products for the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons game. I was the Basic D&D line Product Manager for years, during which the beloved D&D Gazetteers and the Rules Cyclopedia were published. I also worked at TSR as the director of production planning and head of games acquisitions.

My son Noel came to this world when TSR went bankrupt. One of the outcomes of the happy event in my life was that I could not follow my colleagues to Renton, Wa, at WotC, which had salvaged most of TSR's creative team. My writing years went on hiatus while I explored other avenues. After some time at US Web near Milwaukee and United Airlines at O'Hare, I'm now back in Wisconsin to re-invent myself and do what I really want to do! This now includes the creation of the World of Calidar.